Former Sydney captain Dane Rampe has been parachuted back into the role to stand in for injured skipper Callum Mills.

Rampe will act as interim captain for the remainder of the finals series after Mills suffered a devastating ACL injury during the Swans’ inspired qualifying-final victory over Brisbane.

Regular vice-captain Isaac Heeney is currently serving a club-imposed suspension and remains at the centre of a Victoria Police investigation into the alleged Pullman Hotel scandal last month.

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Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordan and Riley Bice were all stood down for the rest of the season for breaching club standards.

Given Mills and Heeney made up just a two-player leadership group announced by the club before the start of the season, the Swans had to hand-pick someone from outside the leadership group to lead them for as many as two more possible games.

Rampe served as co-captain between 2019-2023 and has played in four losing grand finals — 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2024 — since making his debut in 2013.

Now, the 36-year-old has the opportunity to captain an unlikely premiership in what could be his last year for the club, with a decision on his future beyond 2026 yet to be made.

Dane Rampe will captain Sydney in this Friday’s preliminary final at the SCG. Credit: AAP

Rampe was given the nod ahead of younger midfielders James Rowbottom and Errol Gulden, in a decision made largely by coach Dean Cox and Mills.

“Dane has always been an exceptionally tough footballer, and he continues to show remarkable leadership qualities, which we see on a daily basis inside the four walls,” Cox said.

“As devastating as it is to lose Millsy so late in the season, we feel Ramps has the perfect characteristics and experience to lead this team for the rest of this season.

“The boys are thrilled to run out alongside Dane on Friday night.”

Sydney will host Fremantle at the SCG on Friday night for a spot in the grand final.

Their thumping win against the Lions just over a week ago was widely seen as one of their greatest ever victories, given the events of the previous few weeks.

Rampe’s return to captaincy comes after being re-drafted as a rookie by the Swans with fellow defender Jake Lloyd at the end of last year.

While Lloyd has signed on for a 15th season, neither Rampe nor the Swans have made a call on whether he will continue next year.

But the door is open for the former Swans co-captain, with defender Mills facing the possibility of missing the entire 2027 season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.

Drafted at age 22 in 2013, Rampe was named co-captain with Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker for the 2019 season.

The trio handed the reins to Mills at the end of 2023, but their successor endured a tough 2024 season pockmarked by injury.

Mills was restricted to seven games, hurting his shoulder in a Mad Monday wrestling contest with a teammate before being sidelined from the 2024 grand final defeat to Brisbane with a hamstring strain.

This year was the first time the 29-year-old had played more than 20 games since Sydney’s 2022 grand final run.

Mills also earned significant praise for leading the Swans through the turmoil of last month’s Pullman Hotel fallout.

Cox’s selection conundrum is further complicated with key forward Joel Amartey (Achilles) and winger Justin McInerney (hamstring) nearing full fitness.

Hayden McLean — playing as cover for Amartey — slotted three majors against the Lions, with fellow talls Charlie Curnow (five goals) and Logan McDonald (six) also busy.

With AAP